Should Condoms Be Distributed in Zimbabwe Prisons?

The prevelance of HIV and AIDS presents a moral and to some extent political dilemma to prison bosses in Zimbabwe. On one hand it is common knowledge not just within the prison system but within the whole Zimbabwean society that homosexuality is rife in the pris0n system. While this might be the case, having to decide whether or not to distribute condoms has other factors that make it a difficult decision to make.

Homosexuality is illegal in Zimbabwe and also goes aganist the moral consciousness of many God fearing Zimbabweans except a few groups like The Gays and Lesbians Association of Zimbabwe [GALZ]. While the spread of Aids continues to spread in the prisions the debate stagnates and there seems to be no movement or progress on both sides of the argument.

I think both sides seem to be missing the point of the argument totally. The real issue here is the health of the prisoners who by the way still have rights. Some get raped leave prison with Aids and an extra burden to deal with Aids outside prison. They also spread the disease to others in the society, its a vicious circle . If the morality of Zimbabweans cannot stomach the idea of condoning homosexuality then one way to deal with it is to look at the cause of homosexuality in prisons and address it. We all know most men cannot do without sex for prolonged periods. After a few months of using various masturbation techniques I’m sure others who are creative start getting ideas when one fellow inmate bends down to pick up soap in the shower. Thinking of that scenario even makes me the writer have nausea. Anyway it is what it is.

Introducing conjugal visits might help reduce the spread of diseases. Conjugal visits are scheduled extended visits during which inmates are permitted to spend several hours or days in private, with a legal spouse. Now how this would exactly work in Zimbabwe is debatable and what if woman prisons fall pregnant ? What will happen to the children? We just throw ideas out to the people that we feel make Zimbabwe move on progressively. Having a discussion over an issue is way better than people taking stances they are not willing to change please comment and tell us what you think.

well, women in prison facilities do get pregnant so there already are mechanisms in place to deal with the children (even though they don’t deal with the ‘how’ they get pregnant within prison walls with no conjugal rights.

As for the homosexuality dilemma I think the health of peopl eis more important than one’s moral high ground, and the only reason why it’s illegal is because it falls in the category of unnatural or behavior that deviates from societal norms. In that case then, judging by the number of gay people in Zimbabwe now that law shouldn’t still apply.

all the same, then comes the question, what happens to those single men in prison, will we legalize prostitution to accomodate them?? I believe condoms are the shortcut method but the situation simply reflects Zimbabwe is past due for a LOT of reform. I’m not saying legalize homosexuality, but i think it’s time we relook at our laws and society, because the Zimbabwe we think we live in, that we want to live in is not the one we ACTUALLY live in.

One of the things we have to be cognizant of is that laws are part aspiration. So to dismiss the norms of the majority to accommodate the whims of a few is a short-sighted view.

Instead of giving life to the sexuality question let us deal with the health issues. The problem with modern society is that all arguments inherently become sexual instead of dealing with issues at hand.

We think that condoms should be issued whether the prisoner is having sex with a man or a woman. The issue is not who he has sex with. It is that he fulfills a natural need to ejaculate and he uses the resources available, right or wrong.